SINGAPORE, March 8 — The long-awaited Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, a game-changing glass complex that includes a living rainforest, rooftop pool and soaring indoor waterfall, has an opening date: April 17.

First announced in 2013, the project is pitched as more than just an airport but a tourist destination in itself: The indoor Forest Valley climbs five stories and is home to walking trails and 3,000 trees from around the world. At 40m tall, the Rain Vortex is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and cascades dramatically from the glass-domed rooftop. At night, the falls put on an hourly light and sound show.

An aerial view of Jewel Changi Airport. — Handout via AFP
An aerial view of Jewel Changi Airport. — Handout via AFP

Spanning the size of 11 Olympic-size pools, the top-level Canopy Park features everything from slides for kids to a hedge maze and sky nets which are suspended 25m over a void. Foggy Bowls diffuse water mists to create the illusion of indoor clouds.

In the industry, Singapore’s Changi Airport is widely accepted as the gold-standard in airports, regularly topping Best Airport lists year after year.

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The Canopy Mazes at Jewel Changi Airport. — Handout via AFP
The Canopy Mazes at Jewel Changi Airport. — Handout via AFP

In the Skytrax World Airport Awards, Changi has topped the list six years in a row and is the current titleholder.

Meanwhile, Jewel Changi is holding an open house for Singapore residents ahead of its official opening. A total of 500,000 tickets are up for grabs for visits between April 11-16. Visitors must register online and can register up to four participants. Tickets are free and the registration opens March 12 at 6am local time here. — AFP-Relaxnews

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